Wednesday, January 3, 2001

Escape your assumptions

Assumptions are essential. Without them, we would be paralyzed by the need to think through every little detail of life. We depend heavily on our assumptions, so it is important that they be accurate. Often we become so accustomed to and familiar with our assumptions that we rarely even think to question them.

Yet conditions change. People change. You change. The world changes. You may still be acting on assumptions you originally developed years ago. There’s a good chance that many no longer hold true.

What have you done lately to examine and challenge your assumptions? Like a ship’s anchor, your assumptions can keep you steady and stable. Yet if a ship is to be useful, it must sail. To do that the anchor must be regularly raised and the sails unfurled.

If you hold too firmly to your assumptions, you’re likely to get stuck in one place. Make it a point to regularly challenge those assumptions. Some will survive the challenge and continue to prove valuable. Others you’ll find you need to discard. Free yourself from worn-out assumptions, keep your thinking fresh, and move your life forward.